


Nightmare Hour

by pikablob



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Camp Camp Secret Santa, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Nightmares, dadvid, gwenmom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-22
Updated: 2018-12-22
Packaged: 2019-09-24 23:18:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17110040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pikablob/pseuds/pikablob
Summary: Unable to sleep after a particularly bad nightmare, Max finds comfort in David & Gwen.My present toMaxunwelll on Tumblras part of the Camp Camp Secret Santa 2018.





	Nightmare Hour

**Author's Note:**

  * For [milesmorales (1989)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/1989/gifts).



Max sat bolt upright, gasping for air. He looked around frantically, the angry voices of his parents echoing through his mind. As his eyes adjusted he remembered where he was; he was at camp, about as far away from home as he could possibly be. His hands scrabbled amongst the covers for a moment before he felt the ragged fur of Mr. Honeynuts and pulled the bear close.

He looked around the tent again. Everything was dark, and all was calm save for his own ragged breathing and Neil’s quiet snoring. A dull thump sounded in the distance, somewhere outside the tent. He jumped, mind shooting back to the nightmare, and hugged Mr. Honeynuts tightly to his chest.

After a moment of quiet, he let out a breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding. God, he was being stupid; he was miles away from home, where they couldn’t hurt him, acting like a scared little kid. He willed his body to stop shaking, but it stubbornly refused.

Going back to sleep wasn’t an option, at least not for now. His nerves were still shot. For a moment he considered waking Neil, only to throw the idea out as quickly as he’d had it. People didn’t appreciate being woken, especially not for stupid irrational things like nightmares; Max had learned that years ago.

He needed to clear his head. Quietly, he slipped out of bed. He pulled his hoodie on, hoping it would stop the shivers that still ran through his body. It helped a little.

Finally, he pulled on his shoes and stepped out, taking care to zip the flap up behind him. Outside it was just as dark, with only the pale moon to navigate by. It had been raining that afternoon, and the smell of damp earth still lingered around the tents. Something rustled, and another shudder ran through him.

He headed for the lake, walking quickly and with a firm grip on the bear. Every sound that came from the trees sent shivers down his spine. He silently cursed his own weakness; he’d walked this way a hundred times during camp activities, and never once been afraid, but all it took was some darkness and a dumb nightmare and he was jumping at shadows.

Finally he came to the water’s edge, sitting down on a rock beside one of the jetties. He willed his racing heart to be calm, but the jitters refused to die down. The nightmare was still fresh in his mind, and stupid as it was he was still on-edge. He took a deep breath; how long was this night going to last?

* * *

David smiled, downing the last of the lukewarm hot chocolate in his mug. Today had been a good day; the morning’s activities had gone as well as could be hoped for, and while rain had called off the afternoon events everyone had had a good time piling into the mess hall to watch a movie on the projector. With all the campers now safely in bed, he and Gwen had settled in for an evening of Bob Ross.

The TV gave the room its only light, casting a pale glow over everything. As he was watching, he noticed something moving through the cabin window. Silhoutted by the moon, he could make out the shape of someone moving along the path towards the lake,

It was too small to be the quartermaster. David’s smile faded, replaced with a look of concern; why would one of the kids be up this late?

“I think one of the campers is out there,” he turned to Gwen. She looked out, then rolled her eyes.

“Looks like it,” she sighed, “Alright, you go see what they’re up to.” She paused the video before slouching back into her chair. He nodded, heading for the door.

Once outside, he set off after the camper, walking quickly across the damp ground. By now the child had disappeared from view, hidden by a bend in the path, but there wasn’t really anywhere they could go other than onwards, so he pressed on.

After a moment the lake came into view, shimmering faintly in the moonlight. Down by the edge he could make out the shape of a child, perched on top of a rock and shivering slightly. Even in the dark, the hoodie and dark curly hair were unmistakeable.

“Max?” David called out softly, trying not to startle him.

“Jesus Christ!” Max yelped, jolting around. He raised his arms instinctively, as if to defend from some unseen threat, before he realised who it was. Cautiously, he lowered his guard. “David?”

His voice was shaky, and far quieter than normal. In one hand, he was holding a rather battered teddy bear. David crouched down. Max scrambled to his feet.

“You scared the shit out of me!” he hissed, trying to hide the way his voice quavered. “What the fuck are you doing out here?”

“Looking for you,” David replied. “You shouldn’t be out here; it’s way past your bed time.” Max scowled.

“Fine, I’ll head back to camp,” he said angrily. He started to walk, only for David to stop him. He looked the boy in the eyes.

“Max, why were you out here?” he asked softly. Max looked down, glaring at the muddy ground.

“I just couldn’t sleep, okay?” he retorted. “I’m fine.” His voice cracked. He clearly wasn’t fine; he’d been terrified before David has arrived, and even now seemed on edge. It was like he was afraid of something.

“You had a nightmare,” David realised. Max still didn’t look up, but it was clear his resolve was wearing thin.

“Okay, fine, I did,” he spat. “I had a shitty dream and now I can’t get back to sleep so I came out here but I’m still scared shitless of something that can’t hurt me because it isn’t even real!” David could hear the lump in his throat. He was shaking again, and started rubbing his eyes furiously to try and stop tears from forming.

“It’s okay,” David reassured. “We all have bad dreams sometimes. Just because it can’t hurt you doesn’t mean it’s not scary.” He paused; Max was still looking down, but the tension seemed to have left his body. “Why don’t you tell me what it was about?” David asked cautiously.

Max was silent for a moment. When he finally spoke the fire was gone from his voice, leaving just a scared and hurt child. “It was my parents.” David froze, caught off guard. “They were arguing about something, fuck, I don’t know. But whatever it was it was my fault. And I was watching, I guess, and they saw me. A-and then they…” he trailed off, a few stray tears falling to the mud as the dam finally gave way and all his thoughts and fears tumbled out.

“Oh Max,” David said sadly. He reached out and pulled the boy into a hug, feeling as sobs wracked his body. Gently, he picked Max up and stood back up. Max didn’t resist; there was no fight left in him.

“I’m sorry you had to go through that,” David offered. Inside his mind was whirling, trying to make sense of what he’d heard. He’d known Max’s parents didn’t really care since Parents’ Day, but this  was something else. He would have to have a long talk with Max in the morning, but now wasn’t the time. Right now what Max needed was reassurance. “I’m going to take you back to the cabin, okay?”

Max nodded slightly in assent. David started walking, suddenly noticing the hand clutching at his shirt; the other was still gripping the ragged stuffed bear. He quickened his pace. He soon reached the door to the counselors’ cabin, pushing it open gently and stepping inside.

“What the?” Gwen asked, standing up from her chair. David set Max down on the doormat, turning to her.

“He had a nightmare,” he explained, “He’s pretty shaken.” Both counselors looked back down to where Max was standing.

He tensed up under Gwen’s gaze. She gave as warm a smile as she could muster, and finally he seemed to relax.

“I’ve got just the thing,” she said, heading over to her nightstand. She grabbed the thermos of hot chocolate they’d filled back in the kitchen and set about pouring another mug-full.

“We’re watching Bob Ross,” David explained, pointing to the TV, “Wanna join us?”

“Sure,” Max replied, wiping his eyes with a sleeve. David sat down in his chair; Max scrambled up, perching where the armrests of both chairs met. Gwen wandered back over, sitting down in her spot. She passed him the mug she’d filled.

“Always helps me when I’m feeling down,” she explained with a smile, “So enjoy, you little shit.”

Max took a sip, leaning back into the chairs, and his mouth quirked up into a faint smile. Gwen hit play, and the soothing voice of Bob Ross began to drift through the cabin.

“You guys actually watch this shit?” Max asked, but there was no malice in his voice, and judging by the smile he was enjoying it too.

They sat there for a while, just letting the show play out, until the faint sound of snoring jolted David back into alertness. He looked beside him; Max had fallen asleep on the seat, empty mug in one hand, bear in the other, with a contented smile on his face.

“Aww,” Gwen smiled, noticing. “Looks like we chased away that nightmare.”

“We sure did,” David agreed. Gently, he scooped the boy up in his arms and set him down in his bed, placing the empty mug on the nightstand. He tucked Max in, turning to see Gwen switching off the TV and heading to bed.

“Uhh, where are you going to sleep?” she asked as she climbed into bed. He shrugged, looking around the cabin.

“I’m sure we can make space on the floor, just for one night.”

“You idiot,” she said quietly, raising up the covers with one arm as an invitation, “C’mere.”

He obliged, slipping into the bed beside her. It was a tight squeeze, but they both just about fit. She lazily draped an arm over him, and he felt his cheeks flush red as she slipped into unconsciousness. He smiled; tomorrow was bound to be difficult, but that night, with Max sound asleep and Gwen by his side, David was sure it was all going to turn out alright.


End file.
